Review

Lakes is a melodic rock band featuring the former lead singer of indie-pop outfit Watashi Wa, Seth Alan Roberts. The band’s debut EP Photographs contains five tracks of earnest, glossy pop-rock. You might spot a deviation, but the album is nearly entirely a soft to loud (but not too loud!) modern rock sound that puts a strong but not overdone vocal performance up front, with smooth waves of guitar sound as the anchor. As such, the whole affair comes off as quite pleasant.

Considering the album’s cover, serene sun-through-the-threes, and its songs, devoted to love realized (‘Indian Lover’), loving others (‘Love or Gain’), and love’s possibilities (‘Latersss’), everything falls into place. These tracks tell their stories without stepping on any toes, and at their best they are an enveloping presence.

While the songs are incessantly pleasant, the consistent pace and feeling throughout can be too much of a good thing. When the melodies resonate with the listener the album shines, but if they fall flat, the album becomes little more than background noise. Still though, the vocal performance of Roberts and the album’s charming themes are enough for it to earn a spot on the shelf alongside Acceptance and Copeland.